Just Friends?
by AquilaTempestas
Summary: Rei meets up with an old foe who admires him greatly. But are her feelings more than just admiration? ReixFrankie!


**Disclaimer**

The rights to Beyblade belong to Takao Aoki.

**Title**

Just Friends?

**Summary**

Rei meets up with an old foe who admires him greatly. But are her feelings more than just admiration?

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It had been three years since he had last seen her, but he remembered her face. How could he forget? She was one of the fiercest female bladers he had ever battled against, and remarkably skilled for someone who lacked the power of a bitbeast. Her name was Frankie, and they had met during the American tournament in the Bladebreakers first year together as a team.

After Tyson's victory against Brooklyn, Rei had made it a task to contact her. It was difficult at first; Frankie's details weren't available in the official BBA book of contacts. He had almost given up hope until he stumbled into Mario one afternoon. Mario was now a star soccer player, but he still classified himself as a blader. The kid was trying to enrol himself in the PPB facility. A future All-Stars blader, perhaps.

Thanks to Mario, Rei managed to obtain Frankie's contact details. The conversation was awkward at first; after all, he hadn't seen her since the American tournament, but she remembered him. Rei worked up the courage to invite her out to lunch and fortunately, she accepted much to his relief. He had feared his celebrity status would scare her off.

"Rei, is that you?"

A young woman approached him, clutching her hands around a leather bag. Light purple cascading curls fell around her shoulders, her lavender eyes slightly hidden by her purple bangs. She no longer wore that loose fitting garment she had during the tournament; she was wearing a plain white sundress.

"Frankie?" Rei asked, staring at the girl. She surely had changed a lot since they had last met.

A smile broke across her face. She ran over, and threw her arms around him. "I haven't seen you in years! You surely have grown a lot, Rei!" she exclaimed.

He smiled back. "As have you." Rei led her to the cafe table and two sat down across from each other. They were seated outside Oliver's cafe in the sunshine. Fortunately, a large umbrella placed in the centre of the table protected them from the harsh rays. "So tell me about yourself, it's been three years after all."

She flicked her hair over to one side, slinging it over her shoulder. "A lot has happened actually," she said, smiling, "I got a part time job down at the local fishing club, and fortunately for me, a lot of them are bladers. I've been improving my skills."

"That's good to hear. Are you going to compete in the next tournament?"

She shrugged. "If we qualify that is. We tried to in the last tournament, but we didn't get past the All Stars, they totally overpowered us," she remarked, glancing down at her hands. "But we haven't given up trying. Mr. Dickinson has listed us down for the next tournament."

"That's great news! We may face each other in the beystadium again, then?" Rei said.

"I don't know if I'd be a match for you; you're one of the greatest bladers around, Rei. I saw your battles on the television. You're an inspiration to a lot of people. I always knew I'd find you at the top level," she said, lifting her gaze from her hands. "So, how are you?"

Talking to Frankie felt so natural, like they had been best friends forever. It was like talking to Mariah or Salima. The conversation just seemed to flow. "I'm helping Tyson train the next generation of world class bladers," Rei said. "We've started up a school."

"Those kids are going to be the best one day."

Rei nodded. "Yeah, probably. We're also busy training for the next tournament."

"How are your friends?"

"Great. They're all busy balancing their lives between practice and social life. Tyson's gotten himself a girlfriend now. He's dating our team coach, Hilary. He remains as focused as ever on retaining his title as champion though and Hilary keeps him in line," Rei said. Their relationship was going to happen eventually; Rei remembered placing bets on it with Kai.

"And Max? Kenny? Kai?"

"Max splits his time with us and his family. His parents got back together earlier this year much to Max's excitement. When he's not with us, he's helping his father down at the beyblade shop. Kenny helps them out, designing blades for kids," Rei explained. "As for Kai, he's become our team captain again. With Hilary's help, he creates training schedules designed to keep our skills in top shape."

Frankie nodded. "It's good to hear you guys are doing well; I was so worried about you during the BEGA tournament." A tinge of red appeared on her cheeks. "I mean, I was worried about you all of course."

Now she looked nervous; he could tell by the way she suddenly looked uncomfortable. Did Frankie harbour romantic feelings for him? Or was it just a case of hero worship? He was after all, one of the greatest bladers in the world. "You don't have to be nervous around me, Frankie. We're friends," he assured her. Her case of nerves came out of nowhere; perhaps she was just a good actor.

"It's just... I feel so small in comparison to you," she finally said, meeting his eyes.

"I treat all bladers equally," Rei replied.

"You have a good heart, Rei."

That's what Lee had said to. "I want you to feel comfortable around me, Frankie. I will never look down on you."

She pressed her lips into a thin line. "Oh gosh, this is coming out so weird, isn't it? I just... I really admire you, Rei. I never thought I'd see you again; I thought you had forgotten all about me. So when you contacted me, I was so surprised."

"You're one of the reasons I'm blading today. If my team had lost against yours in that tournament, we wouldn't have progressed. You taught me new things about my blading skill. You were part of my growing process," he said softly. Frankie was definitely looking quite nervous now. He grabbed her hand, and looked into her eyes. "Don't ever doubt yourself."

She didn't withdraw her hand. "Thanks Rei... I mean it. Your friends are so lucky to have you. Mariah doesn't realize how lucky she is."

"Mariah?"

Frankie frowned. "She's your girlfriend, isn't she? You were both pretty close."

Rei shook his head, laughing. "No, no, we're not together! Mariah may have liked me at one stage, but she's moved past that now. I'm not seeing anyone." He did come close to asking Salima out earlier in the year until he found out she was seeing Kane. That was disappointing, but he quickly recovered from that. At least she was happy now.

Frankie's face seemed to brighten at that piece of information. Was Frankie's admiration for him a little more hero worship? Was it possible... that she liked him? The thought intrigued him. "Oh! I'm sorry, I just assumed..."

"It's alright, a lot of people assumed that. We're just childhood friends, nothing more." Frankie fell silent, probably still feeling embarrassed by her assumption. "It's my fault; I should've said something earlier. Let me make it up to you."

"You would do that?"

He nodded. "How about... I offer you some blading tips. You'll ace the qualifying rounds with my help."

"Honestly? You'd really do that for me?" She couldn't stop smiling. At least she wasn't acting nervous anymore.

He reached down into his pocket, pulled out a pen and paper, then scribbled down his contact details. "Take this. Call me when you're ready. I look forward to meeting you again." He pushed the paper to her. She took it, and placed it in her bag. "See you soon, Frankie." They both stood up. Frankie was still smiling. Rei walked away, feeling pleased with himself. He had failed relationships in the past, but this could be the one to work.

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Not my best work; it's more of a practice run. It's about Frankie and Rei, and the possibility they could be together. I believe this is the first story about Frankie ever, so I'm claiming this coupling. As always, reviews are much appreciated!


End file.
